Heineken said it is facing a tough year as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz piles yet more pressure on the global economy. It’s warned beer costs could end up increasing
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The Iran war could send beer prices soaring due to the surging cost of essential brewing fuels and glass bottles.
Super brewer Heineken said it is facing a tough year as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz piles yet more pressure on the global economy. A former top boss at the Dutch company warned that the higher cost of energy and bottling will ultimately mean a costlier pint.
Outgoing chief exec Dolf van den Brink said: “Global trade has become more complex and volatile, with impacts on energy availability and costs in certain markets. This leads to inflationary pressures, which might affect consumer sentiment in the medium-term.”
The beer giant, the world’s second-largest brewer, fears the escalating energy costs and inflation will worsen as the war rumbles on. It fears it will heap more pain on the sector which has suffered already with cost-of-living pressures and US tariffs.
The warning comes as Heineken prepares to cut 6,000 jobs and seeks a new chief executive following van den Brink’s unexpected exit in January. Despite the warning, the company reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter revenues and volumes for 2026 with a 2.8% rise in organic net revenue surpassing analyst predictions of 2.3%.
Total volumes also grew by 1.2% organically, defying forecasts that anticipated flat performance over this quarter. A strong performance in Asia Pacific helped offset declines in beer sales in both Europe and the Americas, including the US and large beer markets like Brazil and Mexico.
And the company, known for brands like Tiger and Sol, reiterated its full-year outlook for between 2% and 6% organic operating profit growth. But they added that this projection is “based on the assumption of a temporary rather than a prolonged disruption in global trade”.
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